4th Civil Affairs Group
4th Civil Affairs Group (4th CAG) is a civil affairs (CA) unit of the United States Marine Corps. It is based at Naval Support Facility Anacostia, Washington, D.C. This webpage listed locations of civil affairs units throughout the United States. It is one of only three civil affairs groups in the Marine Corps, all of which are reserve units. 4th CAG was the first civil affairs group in the Marine Corps and mostly supports II MEF. Organization 4th CAG is commanded by a Colonel and the unit has 38 Marine officers, 85 Marine enlisted, 4 Navy officers and 1 Navy enlisted. The unit consists of one (1) Headquarters Detachment and four (4) Line Detachments. Civil Affairs Marines carry the secondary Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 0530/0531 (Civil Affairs Officer/Specialist) in addition to their primary MOS. History On November 1, 1955, 4th CAG was activated originally as 5th Staff Group at Henderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia."Unit Profile- 4th Civil Affairs Group: Anacostia Naval Station, Washington, D.C.", Continental Marines (Fall 2011), p. 28. In 1973, the unit had a table of organization of 30 officers and 50 enlisted and was commanded by Colonel J. Z. Taylor."'Brainy' Marine reservists man one of a kind Civil Affairs unit", Wilmington Morning Star, Marine Edition, vol. 106, no. 158 (Wilmington, N.C., 21 April 1973). In the late 1970s, 4th CAG supported several iterations of Operation Solid Shield with NATO.Bartlett, Tom. "Strength In Reserve", Leatherneck Magazine, vol. 62, no. 5 (Marine Corps Association, May 1979), pp. 47-48. In 1979, 4th CAG was relocated to Naval Support Facility Anacostia. 4th CAG activated several Marines for the first time in the unit's history to support Operation Just Cause in Panama.Brown, DeNeen L. "Activated for the Aftermath?", The Washington Post (December 15, 1990), pp. E1 and E3. The entire unit was activated for the first time in December 1990 and deployed for Operation Desert Storm in 1991.Colonel Charles J. Quilter II. U.S. Marines in the Persian Gulf, 1990–1991: With the I Marine Expeditionary Force in Desert Shield and Desert Storm (Washington, DC: Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1993), p. 65. During Operation Desert Storm, 4th CAG was assigned to 2nd Marine Division and helped process over 10,000 Iraqi POWs.Kaheny, John M. "After the Storm" - "Marine Corps Civil Affairs During Desert Shield/Desert Storm", The Officer, vol. 77, no. 4 (Reserve Officers Association, May 2001), pp. 19-20. Immediately upon return from the Middle East, a detachment from 4th CAG deployed to Northern Iraq in support of Operation Provide Comfort to provide humanitarian aid to Kurdish refugees.Brown, Ronald J. Humanitarian Operations in Northern Iraq, 1991: With Marines in Operation Provide Comfort (Washington, DC: Marine Corps History and Museums Division, 1995), p. 3. 4th CAG sent numerous detachments to the Balkans in mid-1990s until 2003.Wilkerson, Thomas L. "One Corps-Standard A Proven Total Force Concept", The Officer, vol. 74, no. 1 (Reserve Officers Association, January/February 1998), p. 63.Lowrey, Nathan. "Peacekeeping Operations in Kosovo: The 26th MEU During Operation Joint Guardian", Marine Corps Gazette, vol. 83, no. 12 (Marine Corps Association, December 1999), p. 59. 4th CAG participated in numerous New Horizons missions in Central/South America and the Caribbean Islands. 4th CAG deployed to Iraq three times for Operation Iraqi Freedom: (1) February to September 2003, (2) August 2004 to March 2005 and (3) September 2006 to April 2007. 4th CAG sent a detachment to support Joint Task Force Katrina in New Orleans, Louisiana from September to October 2005. 4th CAG also sent detachments to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom in May 2009 and November 2009 and participated in Operation Strike of the Sword. Unit awards * Presidential Unit Citation ** March 21, 2003 to April 24, 2003 (with I MEF) ** May 29, 2009 to April 12, 2010 (with 2d MEB)"4th Civil Affairs Group, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Presented Presidential Unit Citation" (September 2012). Scroll & Sword (The Journal and Newsletter of the Civil Affairs Association). Columbia, MD. p. 11. Vol. 62, Issue 1. * Navy Unit Commendation ** January 1997 to November 2001 ** August 2, 2004 to February 1, 2005 (with I MEF) ** September 2006 to March 2007 (with I & II MEF) * Meritorious Unit Commendation ** August 1, 1990 to June 30, 1991 (with 4th MarDiv) * Commandant of the Marine Corps Certificate of Commendation ** December 1978 to December 1980 Notable members *Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Senator from ConnecticutWood, David. "'Vietnam Vet' Richard Blumenthal: Many Apologies Are in Order", Politics Daily, 18 May 2010. Retrieved on 02 January 2013. *Rich Brenner, sportscaster *Bill Cahir, ran for United States Congress, subsequently killed in action with the CAG in Afghanistan on 13 August 2009 *C. Boyden Gray, diplomatO'Leary, Jeremiah. "HIGH DESERT", Leatherneck Magazine, vol. 54, no. 26 (Marine Corps Association, January 1971), p. 27-28. Article says Clayland Boyden Gray served in 4th CAG as a Sergeant. *Paul Hackett, ran for United States Congress *Andrew Horne, ran for United States Congress *Mackubin Thomas Owens, writer *Arnold L. Punaro, retired Major General Notes References * 4th CAG briefed this slideshow presentation at the Civil Affairs Association Winter Board Meeting on February 4, 2006 and it contained a good summary of the organization and its missions. It also contained a synopsis of 4th CAG support to OIF and the future direction of the unit. * * * External links * 4th Civil Affairs Group homepage * Civil Affairs Association homepage * Category:Civil affairs units and formations of the United States Category:Force Headquarters Group Category:Groups of the United States Marine Corps